- May 1, 2024
At Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing, Murray Presses Secretary McDonough on EHR Oversight, Expansion of VA Child Care Pilot She Established
ICYMI: Murray Urges VA to Consider Feedback from Providers and Veterans in Spokane and Walla Walla When Evaluating Future of EHR, Get it Right in WA State First
As Appropriations Chair, Murray secured a record $990 million for women veterans’ health care at VA this year
***VIDEO of Senator Murray’s Full Q&A HERE***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, attended a Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2025 with VA Secretary Denis McDonough. At the hearing, Murray questioned Secretary McDonough on VA’s “Reset” of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system and progress on the Child Care Pilot Program at VA that she established in 2010 and secured funding to expand in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills she wrote as Appropriations Chair.
Murray has an extensive record of strong oversight of VA’s new EHR system, dating back to the Trump administration’s original negotiation of the then-Oracle contract; earlier this month she sent a letter to McDonough urging VA to consider feedback from providers and veterans in Spokane and Walla Walla as the agency evaluates the future of the EHR, and reiterating that VA must not move forward on the rollout of EHR until the myriad issues that have plagued the system in the locations where it has been launched, including in Spokane and Walla Walla, are fixed.
“I am still hearing from veterans and providers about their struggles with [the EHR] system and how it has undermined their health care,” Murray said to Secretary McDonough at today’s hearing. “We’re still hearing about some outages and referrals or notes that aren’t being recorded, canceled procedures—so it’s still a work in progress that we’ve got to focus on. And I know we’re in a ‘reset’ right now, I know you’re taking that seriously and trying to get this corrected. You are asking for $894 million for the EHR program in FY 25. Can you talk to us about how VA will use those funds to make safety improvements and IT upgrades?”
“Our Deputy Secretary just spent yesterday and the day before in Spokane and Walla Walla,” replied Secretary McDonough. “What we’ve said is that we’ve tried to right-size our eyes and our stomach on this budget, so that what we’re asking for is a significant drawback from what we would have anticipated under the original 10-year plan… we have also said that we won’t leave ‘reset’ until we’re ready, but we don’t intend to stay in reset forever. So I hope that by the end of this fiscal year, we will be in a position to be out of reset. But that will be determined by the facts on the ground. The DepSec’s visit is a big part of that right now, as is, of course, the experience in your two facilities.”
Next, Murray asked McDonough about the VA’s Child Care Pilot Program, which she secured $23 million to expand in the FY24 Appropriations bills she negotiated as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Murray originally established the program in 2010 and has since led efforts to expand it; she questioned McDonough on VA’s slow progress on expanding the program.
“It’s really important to me that veterans don’t forgo their health care because they don’t have any child care. And I have to say, I am disappointed that VA is not making progress faster on this,” Murray said. “According to a recent study published by the NIH, a staggering 58 percent of respondents reported missing or canceling VA health care appointments due to child care challenges. Last year at this hearing on your [FY]24 budget request, you told me you would get the regulations moving on the expansion. We’re sitting here today, we’ve been told it may take another year now for them to be finalized. When are we going to see movement on that initiative?”
“We have a two-pronged strategy, McDonough responded. “One is to reimburse veterans for their care that they get somewhere else—and then, consistent with your authorization, to make sure that we have on-site childcare where possible. We think the two places most likely for that are Fresno and Shreveport. And we are working with those two facilities to invest in those opportunities. The regulations are in process and we are hoping to have this regulations done this year.”
“In your [FY]25 budget request, you assume that there’s going to be 10 onsite centers in 2024, and 20 additional in 2025. Will VA meet that goal?” Murray asked.
“It is our intent to, yes,” McDonough replied.
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